The Fall of Melkor
by VoiceFromTheVoid
Summary: Ainulindalë with Melkor as main character, followling the original timeline. Tolkien's story left room for interpretation which I wanted to fill with this story, often to the advantage of Melkor. It is not my intention to make him „the good guy" but to tell the story from his point of view. Probably not Tolkien's idea of him, but you can't just take good and evil for granted.
1. Into the Void

1\. Into the Void

Darkness was all there was and nothing but silence filled the void. And yet that realm was full of potential, though only the voices of the Ainur poured sound into the emptiness. Melodies formed in Melkors mind and often would he sing befor Ilúvatar with joy. Performing his songs gave them more substance and made them seem more real then they were before yet did it not change anything about the endless void.

Nothing had he seen yet but the light of Ilúvatar himself and when he went into the void and wandered, he started to imagine different things, ideas and dreams of light and form. Deeper he went in search for a way to give shape to his ideas until he would retun and sing of his visions. Then he would feel at rest again and stayed with his brethren for a while, yet soon his longing for more would make him grow restless once more and he would wander back, deep into the nothingness of the world.

Soon he grew sad of the emptiness and wanted to fill not only the halls of Ilúvatar with his melodies and ideas but wanted to enrich the void to make it a brighter place filled with beauty. But when he went to sing in the darkness of the void, his melodies seemed to vanish into thin air and all his music was in vain, leaving nothing behind but a memory and grief for the lost beauty.

As he now had heard of the Imperishable Flame, he went more often in search for it, hoping it could help him to fulfil his longing of bringing more than sound into existance. Soon _desire grew hot within him to bring into Being things of his own_ , yet he had found nothing but emptiness. The longer his search lasted, the more the themes of his songs changed, pleading for permission and power to create other things in front of Ilúvatar. As still no change came, sadness coloured his melodies and sometimes his songs grew rapid, restlessly changing from one theme to another and still had he not found the Imperishable Flame. It seemed to him that _Ilúvatar took no thought for the Void_ and nothing would ever change. He did not understand why everything should be empty when it would be so easy for Ilúvatar to create more for had he not created all the Ainur alone. If just he would receive a bit more of this power, Ilúvatar could remain where he was, whilst Melkor would be happy to work hard to fill the void with all sorts of shapes and things he had in mind.

In his despair Melkor went to seek council from his brother Manw _ë,_ but all he did was urging him to be patient and trust in Ilúvatar. But Melkor had already waited too long and he felt like his burning desire was consuming him from the inside, creating another void deep within himself.

It was then, that Ilúvatar gathered all the Ainur to create a great music and Melkor finally saw his chance to convince him by bringing others on his side, for he did not understand Ilúvatar's plan. But as he sung and heard all the other voices he heard sounds and ideas he had never thought of. And for a while his desire weakend as he followed Ilúvatar's theme and great harmony was in the music. After the endless waiting it finally felt like no single note he sang was in vain and every sound awoke something more in the world, something he had so long dreamed of. And as the theme progressed, it came into the heart of Melkor to interweave matters of his own imagining that were not in accord with the theme of Ilúvatar, _for he sought therein to increase the power and glory of the part assigned to himself_. Soon the Ainur around him followed his lead and now he knew Ilúvatar could no longer ignore his desire and before any other Ainur he understood that this music was more than just sound. So they continued until Ilúvatar stopped his discord and a new theme arose.

Melkor would join in, taken by the new melodies, flowing with the music until his will grew strong enough once more. Leading other voices, he felt power growing inside him and a hunger for bringing more on his side and make them sing the way he wanted. After all he had the greatest power and knowledge among the Ainur, so why should he not reign himself and have servants? So powerful was his voice that many of the Ainur standing between the melodies of light and darkness who would not join his own theme, _were dismayed and sang no longer, and Melkor had the mastery_. But before he could expand his will enough, Ilúvatar stood up once more and Melkor went quite and a third theme grew amids the confusion.

Why did Ilúvatar not even let him sing the way he wanted? Did he have no trust in Melkor's skills? And this time Melkors song was coloured by the frustration he had felt whenever he had wandered the void. Soon his melodies echoed his sadness about the long emptiness and anger caused by Ilúvatar's idleness and more voices joined the discord of his deep and dark synphonies whilst others grew silent. He had hoped his brother Manw _ë_ would join him in his song and together they could be strong to lead the song down their own path. But Manw _ë_ remained faithful to Ilúvatar's theme, leading a melody that _was deep and wide and beautiful, but slow and blended with an immeasurable sorrow, from which its beauty chiefly came_ and over and over he would take Melkors chords to weave them back into the overall theme. The war of music continued until Ilúvatar rose a last time and silence was amongst all Ainur as he spoke to them.

So it was true that new things came into excistence by their music and glad was Melkor to understand that all his longing was not in vain. But as Ilúvatar spoke about him in front of all his brethren, _Melkor was filled with shame, of which came secret anger._ Quickly had he forgotten all praise and only those bitter words circled around in his mind.


	2. King of the World

As Melkor had now seen the vision, created by their Great Music, it was far more that his ideas. Filled with astonishment he left the Timeless Halls as one of the first with the wish to enrich the world and to see the Children of Ilúvatar to live among them and teach them and guide them.

And now that he had seen the foreshadowed world, he understood how to create and build more, now that the Flame Imperishable was in the world. Whilst some of his brethren felt at a loss as they had expected the find a world as they had seen it in the vision, Melkor was full of joy and thirst for action, starting his work enthusiastically. Great was then his passion and tirelessly he worked. After waiting for so long, he could not work fast enough to create all that he had heard and seen and thought of even before the Great Music.

And although the Children of Ilúvatar were far from what he had ever imagined, great was his love for them and he wanted to bring order into the world to prepare it for their arrival. His greatest passion however lay in the clear cristals of ice, because he knew of it's fragile beauty and his passion for fire as his desire for the Flame Imperishable had dominated his thoughts for so long.

The darkness of the world seemed to him so dull and he wanted to create the beauty he had in mind for the children to come. So he began creating great fires of heat and all shades and colours in the depths of darkness and time. And he forged great cristals of ice that reflected the light of his fires and for a while it could not understand why both could not be so close to each other without one destroying the other.

As he worked now without rest and alone, he forgot the bitterness in his heart for a while and the joy of creating filled him instead.

But as he thought now about the Children of Ilúvatar, a seed of envy started to sprout, envy for the gifts that had been promised to them and jealous that Ilúvatar would have others to serve him. So it came to his mind, that he could subdue them to his will instead and he would rule and teach them wisely and they would serve him in return. And he wanted to show them in everything he created the power of his might.

In the long ages of labour and creation, Melkor avoided the company of his brother Manw _ë and the Valar that had sung the other theme, for he did not understand their minds and plans properly. Only a few lesser Maiar had wanted to join him in Eä and Melkor taught them, led them and slowly subdued them to his own will._

As now a place was made for the Children of Ilúvatar, Melkor wanted to prepare it to the best of his discretion and power. But disagreement was between him and his brethren on how to shape and structure the habitation for Elves and Men. What he had created, his brethren would reshape and what they had build, he would change and both thought their idea would be the best for the Children to come. And Melkor ignited great fire on the Earth to give them light and warmth. He now thought, amongst all the Ainur he had been the first to dream of a world like this, he had been the one to ask Ilúvatar, he was to first to come into Eä and put the greatest thought and work into what had been created _and he said to the other Valar: 'This shall be my own kingdom; and I name it unto myself!'_

But as now Manwë joined forces with other Valar and Maiar to opose him, Melkor decided to depart for a while to forge a plan how to become stronger than them and take what he thought of as his own.


	3. The First Battle

On his return Melkor saw that the Valar had taken shape not unlike the Children that were yet to come. Clad in might and beauty they walked on the earth and he could see glory and joy in their faces. But as he had been alone, without anyone caring about him, once more his heart grew bitter and envy filled his thoughts. How could they be so happy and not even invite him and why had he himself not have had the idea of taking on a face like that? And why had they destroyed all he had made, whereever they went? Did they not see how much work and passion he had put in every flame and every crystal?

Anger against Manwë and his retainers grew hot in him, but also anger against himself that he had not been the first to have this idea.

Wishing now to clad in a similar visible, physical body, his thoughts were dominated with burning hatred and the cold emptiness of solitude. And so it came that his first appearance was that of a majestic but terrible lord, taller and stronger than any of his brethren, _clad in ice and crowned with smoke and fire; and the light of the eyes of Melkor was like a flame that withers with heat and pierces with a deadly cold._

As the Valar now saw Melkor drawing closer again with his burning crown like a dark warloard, they were full of fear. Manwë gathered the other Valar around him and declared war against their dark enemy, before Melkor had even reached them. _Thus began the first battle of the Valar with Melkor for the dominion of Arda; and of those tumults the Elves know but little._

And fist against fist, Melkor fought against a mighty army, but he stood his ground and would not retreat until Aulë forged great weapons and for a while the Valar now gained the upper hand as they went against him with sword and shild, axe and hammer. But the peace was short and soon Melkor returned with weapons of his own design and both sides left great scars in the land of Arda.

Manwë now feared that Melkor might prevail, so he unleashed a raging storm and drove it across the lands, knowing Melkor's weapons of stone and steel would be useless against this power.

Again their dark opponend was quick in thought and learned the art of war in no time. He wrapped in body in an inferno of flames that just grew hotter and bigger, the more devistating Manwë's winds raged against him.

So Ulmo joined his side and called huge waves and the water rose over the land. In their quest to overthrow Melkor they lost sight of their beloved Arda and with terrible force they raged war against their brother. Only Melkor tried to save what had been created, but words would not sawy the hearts of his breathren and when he pleaded them to hold back their force they thought his words were naught but deception to claim this world his his own.

In his despair Melkor let new walls rise high from the grounds to hold back the waters that flooded the lands, spilling the waters in valleys set expose dry lands in other regions. Once again the purpose of his actions was misunderstood by the Valar and as now Aulë joined the battle, the earth roared beneath there feet and great tremors shook the ground, tearing down the walls Melkor had build. None of his works they understood and in his anger Melkor wept for the destruction of Arda and rage grew inside him as he battled. When in the end even Varda joined her breathren against him, letting stars rain from the sky, littering the ground with terrible distruction, Melkor left the biting frost rise to put out the fires of the fallen stars and in his last hope of beauty returning to the world, he let his beloved snowflakes cover the wounded lands before he fled their terrible combined forces and left Arda for a time, for all that had been created lay now in ruin.


End file.
